


Phantom

by orphan_account



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, marvels agents of Shield
Genre: Other Additional Tags to Be Added
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2018-02-03
Packaged: 2019-02-20 15:49:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 8,701
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13149885
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: I was a normal girl from Dublin. No, really, I actually was relatively normal, until he turned up. Then my life turned into an absolute shitstorm.A normal teenage girls life changes drastically when The Winter Soldier is sent to kill her. Suddenly she finds out she's not who she thought she was and people she's never even heard of want her dead. What happens? Life on the run with Bucky Barnes happens.Set over the Winter Soldier and Civil War timelines. All Avengers will eventually come into it but it's slow burning so none of their tags yet.





	1. Playing House

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys so the plan for this one is to make it long so please stick with me if you enjoy it and PLEASE PLEASE COMMENT!! I can't fix it or make it better if you guys don't give me feedback so work with me plz!!
> 
> I made Bucky a little less broken than he is in the movies purely so I could keep the plot moving.

I had this English teacher once who said that telling a story was like building a house. First you gotta pour the foundations, how you got to the point where the story begins. Next you lay the plot brick by brick until you reach the twist - I always figured that was the point you got to the roof but he never actually went into it that far - and you keep going until the conflict is resolved and you reach the end, it's like the peak of the roof.

I always liked English class, but I've never been very good at telling stories, so I guess this is where I lay the foundations.

My name is Ailia Cassidy. I was 16 when this whole thing started and living in Raheny, Dublin with my brother, Johnathan. When I was ten and he was eighteen our parents died in an accident in Germany while they were on holidays. Johnathan never told me what happened, he never let me anywhere near it. He became my legal guardian and used his part of the inheritance money to pay his way through college, he did need to work as a waiter too though, studying law and politics so that when he got out he could get himself a good job that could support me and give me a good life. I don't think I appreciated how much he did for me at the time, but I do now.

I have never been anything special. Apart from the tragic backstory I was about as average as a teenage girl could get. Things in my life didn't get strange until _he_ showed up, so I suppose that's where I'll start laying bricks.


	2. Insomnia

** _Tuesday, 15/02/2014_ **   
** _Dublin, Ireland_ **   
** _12:47 a.m._ **

I was supposed to be asleep. Most people would be in the middle of the night and usually I would too, but for some reason I was restless, and so there I was, standing in the kitchen with a cup of tea in my hands completely and utterly lost in my own thoughts when the door opened.

I think he was as surprised to see me as I was scared to see him. This strange man in my house on the one night I was home alone. I froze. He was twice my size, in combat gear with a mask on and he had a metal arm - something told me neither fight nor flight were options in this situation, so I did the only thing I could think to do, I offered him some tea.

"Do you want some?" I asked quietly, motioning towards my almost empty mug. "I was just about to make more anyway."

He just stared at me. I'm not sure what I expected him to do so I just pulled out one of the chairs a little for him and made two mugs of tea before sitting opposite. I don't know how long he just stood there looking at me with curiosity and confusion in his eyes as they bore into me, but eventually he slumped into the chair and took off the mask.

"Are you here to hurt me?" I questioned, not entirely sure where the burst of confidence was coming from.

He nodded.

"Why?" I whispered.

He shrugged.

"You're just here to hurt me for no reason?"

"Orders," the first word I ever heard come from his mouth. Quiet as a mouse.

"From who?"

Another shrug. Then his arm twitched, the metal one. He winced from what appeared to be pain.

"Is your arm hurting you?" He looked at me with questioning eyes.

"I do an electronics class in school. I'm no genius but I got an A in my exams. If the problems something simple I might be able to fix it," I offered.

I'll admit I wasn't entirely sure what I was doing. The logical thing would have been to figure out a way to call the Gardaí, but nothing about the way this night was going was logical and that voice in my head was telling me the Gardaí would be no match for this guy so I decided to just roll with it.

The strange man continued to just stare at me in wonder. I took that as permission and slowly approached him. There was a space where his arm attached to his shoulder that wasn't on properly so I opened it further to take a look inside. He looked uneasy and for the third time that night I made a questionable decision in regards to my would be assailant. I started to sing the one song that always calmed me down when I was on edge.

_Hey Jude don't make it bad_   
_Take a sad song and make it better_   
_Remember to let her into your heart_   
_Then you can start to make it better_

_Hey Jude don't be afraid_   
_You were made to go out and get her_   
_The minute you let her under your skin_   
_Then you'll begin to make it better_

I saw the problem straight away. Two wires hitting each other were shocking him. He must have been in constant pain for hours. I reached in to try and rearrange them.

_And anytime you feel the pain hey Jude refrain_   
_Don't carry the world upon your shoulders_   
_For well you know it's a fool who plays it cool_   
_By making his world a little colder_   
_Nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah nah_

He didn't even flinch as I pressed his arm back into place, but I could see the slightest trace of relief flash across his face.

I yawned, suddenly very tired. I say back down and rested my head in my arms. I don't know how long we stayed like that. Sitting in silence. I think he was trying to decide what to do with me, I was wondering if I was going to see morning or if I would ever see my brother again.

I'm not sure when I fell asleep, but I woke up the next morning in my bed as if it had never happened. At first, I thought it hadn't, that it was just a weird dream, but there was something so real about it. And then I started to wonder why someone would be given orders to kill me. I was just a random girl from Dublin, what did I have to do with things.

I gave up on trying to figure out about a month later.I forgot about it. Until, that is, I saw him again and realised it was all real. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you thought in the COMMENTS :)


	3. A Beginning And An End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be updating once a week from now on, maybe twice depending on my schedule but Saturdays are update days. 
> 
> This chapter is pretty short but we'll be getting into the juicy stuff soon so stay with me.

_**Saturday, 23/12/2014** _   
_**Dublin, Ireland** _   
_**13:18 p.m.** _

The city was always buzzing at this time of year, but on that particular day it was manic. I was out doing some last minute shopping with some friends when I spotted him watching me from across the street.

He was gone in the blink of an eye. One second he was there, the next he wasn't. Part of me was sure he was never there at all, that it was just my imagination, so I tried to put it out of my mind.

"You ok Li? You've been out of it for, like, an hour. What's up?" Amy asked as we walked into a cafe.

"Yeah I'm fine, just thought I saw someone I knew," I replied with a small smile.

"Right, well cheer up, chin up, who wants hot chocolate?" Sarah grinned.

"You buying?" Becca asked jokingly.

"Yeah, why not, it's Christmas," Sarah agreed, and skipped over to the counter.

There was a booth with plenty of room so we slipped in there and chatted for a bit.

"Ailia, there is a super hot guy staring at you from the table over there. He's like late twenties, early thirties maybe with dark hair and he looks like the brooding type," Amy interrupted the conversation suddenly. "I can think of three possible scenarios. 1) he thinks we're older than we are and he's into you. 2) he thinks he recognises you and is trying to get a good look before saying hi in case he's wrong. 3) he's a paedophile and we should make a hasty exit. Your call."

I looked over, surprised by the man I saw, but somehow not surprised at all.

"I know him. Back in a sec," I slid out of the booth and started towards him, much to the surprise of the girls I was leaving behind.

"Here to hurt me again?" I asked, only half joking.

"No."

"What's your name? If you don't mind me asking."

He hesitated for more than a second.

"James. James Buchanan Barnes," he said it as though it pained him.

"Well, James, if you're not here to hurt me than why are you here?" I was pushing the boundaries of the conversation. This man had had every opportunity to hurt me and yet here I was, fully intact. Now it was time for some of my questions to be answered.

"I- can we go somewhere and talk?"

I don't know what possessed me to say yes, but for some strange reason I did. 


	4. The History of Now

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of this chapter is Bucky's story up to now so if you don't want to read that then you can read the first three paragraphs and then skip down to the paragraph that starts with
> 
> "-so nobody knows..."
> 
> I do recommend reading it anyway though because, well why not and it might give you a little more insight into the character development in this story and how our main character views James at this point.

_**Saturday, 23/12/2014** _   
_**Dublin, Ireland** _   
_**17:03 p.m.** _

We spent hours talking that day. I had given my friends a half assed excuse before I left that I can't even remember and then met James again in a small and almost empty coffee shop.

He told me about his story and I got the feeling it was the most he'd talked to anyone in a long time.

He said he wasn't sure about the first bit, he didn't remember fully, but he would tell me what he thinks from what he could piece together.

He was born in Brooklyn in 1917 and that's where he grew up. When he was 13, in 1930, he noticed a scrawny kid getting beat up by some bullies and stepped in to help the kid. That scrawny kid's name was Steve Rogers and they became best friends. They did everything together and when they heard America had joined the war they even trained together for weeks before going to the recruiting centre. James was accepted straight away but Steve was turned away due to his asthma.

And so James went off to war while Steve stayed behind. He joined the 107th regiment and was shipped to England. He became Sgt Barnes and all was as well as it could be in the middle of a war until the entire regiment was captured by a Nazi science division named HYDRA.

James was pulled away from his men due to an illness he contracted and was experimented on. The scientist, Dr Zola, was attempting to recreate a serum that had been made in America. It was supposed to create "Super Soldiers". People with enhanced, well basically everything.

He poked and prodded and injected James with things that he couldn't even comprehend and he admitted that he wasn't sure how long he was in there, he didn't want to know.

And then a miracle happened. One man singlehandedly took down the entire base and saved everyone , and James saw his best friend again.

They formed a special squad known as the Howling Commandos who went on missions tracking down and eliminating HYRDA facilities and forces. On one of these missions they ambushed a train carrying Dr Zola through the Alps. James fell from the train and was presumed dead by his team.

The fall should have killed him but something the good Dr had given him during captivity had turned him into one of those "Super Soldiers" and he survived, losing only his arm.

HYDRA found him and nursed him back to health. Gave him a new arm, brainwashed him and made him into the perfect killer. They put him in cryofreeze and took him out when they needed someone dead.

He killed god knows how many people over 70 years but the more they took him out the more he started to remember bits and pieces and all of a sudden the memory wiping wasn't quite doing it's job anymore. It was around this time he was sent to kill me.

Something clicked in his brain when he was sent to kill Steve who was now back from the dead and once again the famous Captain America and he ran. Ditched HYDRA and disappeared into the shadows, hiding from everyone, but for some reason, not me.

"-so nobody knows where I am. They're all still looking, but I can't go back, to either side, not yet anyway," he finished up his story and took a sip of his fourth cup of black coffee.

"Well," I sighed, shaking my head a little and taking another deep breath in. "That's quite the story but I fail to see where I fit in."

"This won't be easy to hear," he warned.

"Try me," I fired back. I thought I was ready. I wasn't.

"I wasn't alone for the time I was with Zola. There was another soldier there with me. Sgt. Charlie Coulson. He had two sons after the war. On April 12th 1997 Charlie Jr fathered a baby girl, mother unknown. She was named Isabella Coulson and was given up for adoption on the day of her birth to a lovely family from Ireland who already had a son but were unable to have any more children of their own. They renamed that girl Ailia and she took their surname, Cassidy. That same day Charlie Coulson Jr disappeared off the face of the planet. No one has seen or heard from him and he is presumed dead, though, then again, so was I."

"You're trying to tell me my parents weren't my parents and my brother isn't my brother and I'm the granddaughter of some WW2 vet and the daughter of a dude who's been MIA since the day I was born? Why should I believe you?" It was almost impossible to keep my voice steady, not to let my composure betray the fact that I was freaking out on the inside.

"Ailia, your parents are still the people who raised you, your brother is still the same brother you've grown up with, it's just not biological. And as for the second question, for the same reason you offered me tea instead of screaming the first time we met, the same reason you decided to come here with me today and the same reason you're still sitting her now. You have a feeling, don't you? You know when something bad is about to happen or when someone is lying to you, there's something inside you that just knows," he spoke, as usual, devoid of emotion, almost like he was bored, but somehow it was more like he was broken than bored.

"How did you know that?"

"You're Grandfather had it too, but I think yours is stronger. From what I heard the scientists saying they think whatever Zola used on him had a different effect than on me. He didn't just get physically enhanced, he got an extra sense, that's what he used to call it anyway, and increased mental capacity. They believe he passed it on to one of his sons who then passed it on to his daughter. That is why I was sent to kill you. You were perceived as a threat."

He was right, I could tell he was telling me the truth, just like I could tell my life was about to change significantly. I just had a feeling, but you didn't need superpowers to see it coming in that particular instance.

"So what happens now?" I asked in unspoken acceptance of his words.

"You can go back to your life, but you'll be putting everyone you've ever had the slightest bit of contact with in your entire life in grave danger and without proper training you'll be putting yourself in danger too, or you can come with me, but you'll never get to see or talk to anyone from the life you're living now again. We'd probably be on the run the rest of your life, or until we find a place we fit. I would train you as best I could though. From what I hear I became very close to your grandfather during our time in captivity and he kept me sane. Therefore, I owe it to him to keep you safe if you'll let me. You're only other option is to go out on you're own, but with no experience, you'll likely die."

He got up and started towards the door and I closed my eyes and took a deep breathe before getting up and following him.

"Oh, and by the way Kid, its Bucky," he said, nodding to himself a little. "Bucky," he muttered again under his breath.

"Lia," I replied and pretended not to notice.

That day was the last time I spoke to those friends. The last time I spoke to my brother for a very long time was when I said goodbye to him that morning. I know they looked for me for as long as they could. They put up posters and spread my face across social media, but with everything that's going on in the world it didn't get much traction. People disappear every day, and people get over it. I hope they did too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Please leave COMMENTS and see you next Saturday


	5. Run

**_Monday, 14/01/2015_ **   
**_Somewhere in Bulgaria_ **   
**_06:02 a.m._ **

Sleep, quickly becoming a rare, but beautiful thing. Life as a shadow didn't leave much time for sleep. Bucky was teaching me to always be alert, always ready to fight or run. That didn't make it any better, though, when he woke me up from my rare bursts of sleep to train.

"Please just give me another little while. I'll die," I groaned, rolling over and burying my face further into the pillow. Pillow, what was a generous word for what this was.

"You need more training. What happens if they locate us and attack while I'm not here? What do you do then?" He pulled the covers from my poor excuse of a mattress.

"Honestly, if I got a few more minutes sleep now, they could take me and kill me and I would die happy," I sighed. He didn't say anything. Okay even I could admit that was a little insensitive to say to a man who'd been tortured by them for more than a lifetime. "I'm sorry."

"Just get up," he grunted.

"Fine. Ok," I rolled to my feet. "Lemme just get dressed an- SHIT" he threw a punch at me.

"Jesus chap if I'd known you were that easily insulted I would've thought my words through more carefully," I yelped and attempted to block another punch.

"It's training, Lia. Stop chatting and fight back."

He threw another punch that I blocked but I wasn't prepared for the kick. I tried to hit back but it was like he knew exactly what I was about to do and when. He threw a few more punches and suddenly I was in a head lock.

"Again," he grunted, freeing me.

It went much the same, only this time I was pinned to the round with his knee pressing down on my back.

"Again."

Over and over again until I physically couldn't anymore.

"How long have we been doing this?" I asked breathlessly.

"Seven minutes."

I fake sobbed and collapsed to the ground. "Why is my life so fucked up?"

"Tell me about it," he muttered to himself. "Go take a shower. Food in ten minutes."

The shower was tiny and just about the coldest I had ever had, but the water still felt amazing cascading down my skin. I washed and dried myself quickly, putting my hair back in a Dutch plait to keep it out of the way. Bucky was in the kitchen putting two plates with something vaguely resembling food on them on the table.

"Eat," he order, motioning to the seat across from him.

"Thanks."

There was silence as you ate. A common occurrence between you two. What do you say to the former assassin who was sent to kill you and is on the run from...Well you get the idea.

"I was-uh-I was wondering..." I began cautiously.

"What?"

"The first time we talked, you told me my Senses wouldn't be the only thing that's...enhanced," I chose my words carefully and spoke slowly and deliberately. This question wasn't easy to ask, I had no idea if he could even answer. "What else? And how will they...um...manifest...I suppose that's the word?"

"I don't know but I would guess enhanced strength, speed, agility, intelligence, learning faster I mean, and maybe some other smaller things. Some might develop naturally and some might need to be activated." He stood up and cleared the table.

"Activated?"

"Training."

"Oh," I stood up and neared him. "I have an idea, a proposal, if you will."

He didn't say anything, his expression didn't change, but I knew he was listening.

"You continue to train me, but help me 'activate' these enhancements and learn to deal with them, and I'll help you rediscover yourself. Figure out who you were then and who you are now. And help with your people skills, 'cause they need serious work."

He finished what he was doing and turned to stare at me for a few seconds.

"Okay," he agreed. "But we need to go shopping."

"Perfect for lesson one on social skills," I chirped and grabbed my jacket, the only thing I owned that I wasn't already wearing. Bucky said you should always be ready to run with nothing, because nothing is what they'd leave you with. I didn't really understand it but I went along anyway, who was I to argue.

That's how it started. We trained for hours every day. I was getting stronger, faster and more agile, sure, but it wasn't Super-Stuff yet.

The only thing that was enhanced was my learning speed. I could speak twelve languages fluently after two months and my senses were getting stronger. I could tell Bucky if something was about to happen or if someone was lying.

Bucky however, was not progressing as much. He was now very polite in quick and simple social situations like buying something, but he couldn't figure out who he was now without finding who he was before.

The Bucky I knew now, that I slept in the same room as every night and ate with and trained with every day was a lost soul. And then I figured it out. What he needed to make him whole again.


	6. Visitors

__**** Wednesday, 16/03/2015  
Bucharest, Romania  
20:43 p.m.

"We should go to him," I declared sitting down across from him.

"No."

"He can help you."

"You're not ready."

"Maybe they'll help me."

"Maybe they'll experiment on you."

"I thought they were the good guys."

"There is no good guys in the real world."

"That's cynical."

"It's life."

Bucky stood up and started towards the door.

"I'm going out. Stay here. Don't draw any attention to yourself. Don't get into any fights you won't win," he shut the door behind himself and left me standing there in the tiny apartment on my own.

We'd been there for almost two weeks now, the longest we'd stayed anywhere in the time I'd been with Bucky.

Sure it was nice for a place to feel a little like a home, even if it was a studio apartment with one single bed and a two seater couch that, of course, I had to sleep on, on the fifth floor of a building with no elevator where if you payed rent on a weekly basis and didn't complain about the rats, the landlord asked no questions. Yeah, homey.

There was a knock at the door. I froze. Bucky wouldn't knock. If it wasn't Bucky then who was it. Had they found me? No. If it was them they wouldn't knock either. I didn't get a sense. That means it not bad. But did I trust my instincts enough to bet my life on it? Even if they were Super? Answer: I guess we'll find out.

I made my way to the door slowly and silently, grabbing one of the guns hidden around the apartment on my way, and eased the door open, peaking out.

What I saw was...unexpected...to say the least.

He was cute. He looked around my age and was about 5"8 which was very tall compared to my 5"2. Brown hair, a little darker than mine, and brown eyes.

" _Hi_ ,"he spoke in Romanian. That meant he was probably a local.

" _Uh hi_ ,"I responded. " _Can I help you?_ "

" _I am Andrei. I live in the next apartment over. I have seen you and your brother since you came_ ," brother, he was referring to Bucky. Our cover story. " _and I have been working up the courage to come here and say hello to you. Your are very beautiful._ "

Another time and another place I probably would have thanked him and told him it was a bad time, but I was so desperate for some sort of contact besides Bucky that I made another questionable decision. Those were becoming quite common lately.

" _Thank you. My name is Ana. Would you like to come in? My brother has gone out_ ," I offered, opening the door wider and stepped aside.

I had a boyfriend before I left. Keiran. That was his name. He was nice. Had floppy brown hair and big brown puppy dog eyes and a smile that could make you melt into a big puddle of goo. Andrei reminded me a little of him. I suppose that's why when, after about an hour of chatting, he leaned in to kiss me, I didn't push him away. I pulled him closer.

Making out with a Romanian boy was different. More so than I expected. I couldn't put my finger on it but it was just different. Not bad. Not Keiran but not bad.

Of course that had to be the moment Bucky arrived back from wherever the hell he'd been.

He didn't say anything. Just grabbed Andrei by the back of his shirt and dragged him out the door, closing it and glaring at me.

"He didn't do anything wrong," I sighed and stood up. "He was just being friendly."

"Very friendly," he grunted.

"Why do you care anyway? He was safe. I could feel it."

"He was a teenage boy that you just met today. Those are never safe."

"What are you my dad?"

"No but right now you don't have one so I'm the closest thing you've got. You can't make connections. You can't be remembered by anyone. Come on, Lia, you chose this life, live it."

"Not much of a choice was it. 'Do this or everyone you love will die'," I grumbled.

"A hard choice is still a choice."

"God what is with all of the snippets of wisdom today. You're like Yoda or something."

"Who?"

"Nevermind."

"Go to bed. We're leaving in the morning."

"Just because of Andrei?"

"Yes. No. We've been here too long anyway. Bed. Now."

I rolled my eyes but did what I was told, laying down on the couch. Bucky started to walk to the bed but stopped momentarily by me, as if he wanted to say something, then kept going.

I fell asleep quickly. That was how it seemed to go. Always tired, always ready to sleep. Whether it was the constant running, the training, or just the teenage years I will never know.

The screaming woke me up, though. It was so loud, desperate, like someone who was begging for death because it would be a better alternative to whatever reality they were living.

"Bucky!" I jumbled off the couch and stumbled over to him as fast as I could. He was tossing and turning and sweating like crazy. I didn't know what language he was speaking, not one he taught me anyway. "Hey, Bucky, wake up!"

I leaned towards him on the bed to try and shake him awake but he grabbed me and pinned me down.

"Bucky what are you doi-," I started to ask but he was still asleep. Caught up in this dream world and bringing the horrors of it to life.

Next thing I know he has one hand around my neck and his fist is plummeting towards my face. I reached out and caught his wrist and pushed him off me.

"Fuck," I muttered. "Bucky what is going on in your head?"

I leaned over to him again but he was lying there completely still, his eyes just open.

"Lia," he choked, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. "I hurt you. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

He continued to mumble his apology until I pulled him into me and started rocking him back and forth slowly.

"Shh, it's ok Buck you didn't hurt me don't worry. I'm fine. We're both fine, yeah?" I soothed. "You're ok now."

_Hey Jude don't make it bad_

I started to sing the song that I knew calmed him down before.

_Take a sad song and make it better_  
Remember to let her into you heart  
Then you can start to make it better

When the song was over neither or us said anything or moved, we just sat there.

We could have been there minutes or we could have been there hours, cuddled up on that tiny bed rocking back and forth, neither of us daring to make a sound, neither of us daring to fall asleep. We didn't move until we had no other choice.

"Buck," I whispered. "Bucky!" Slightly more panicked now. "I feel something bad!"

"What?"

"Something bad! They've found us! We need to go!" I jumped up, Bucky not far behind me. He ran to the window and discreetly glanced out into the darkness.

"Shit, they've got guns positioned in every building on the street. Probably a strike team coming in the main entrance and down from the roof. I say we've got about two minutes to get out."

"Less. I can hear them, they're in the stairwell."

"You can hear them?"

"I'm not questioning it."

"Fuck it! Out the window! Now!"

We jumped out of the two windows side by side in a hail of glass and gunfire. I could hear the strike team burst into the apartment behind us and start screaming something but I didn't bother to spare them a glance. I was a tad busy after all.

The landing was painful but not enough to stop us from getting back up and running for our lives.

I suppose I won't be seeing Andrei again.

I felt a pinch in the back of my arm like something hit me. A rock maybe? We didn't stop running until we reached a barn on the outskirts of the city. We seemed to have lost them for the moment but they couldn't have been far behind.

"Was that SHIELD or HYDRA?" I panted, squatting down with my elbows on my knees.

"HYDRA. SHIELD wouldn't be so aggressive straight off the bat," he glanced in my direction. "Your hurt."

"Am I?"

He motioned to my arm. I twisted my head to look around at it. My shirt was ripped and there was a fair amount of blood but I couldn't find it's point of origin.

"Huh, that's weird," I lifted my gaze back up to Bucky who was watching me with a funny look.

"When I attacked you earlier, you caught my wrist and pushed me away."

"Yeah."

"I was using my full strength and you stopped me. Then you jumped out of a fourth story window with barely a scratch and that looks like a bullet wound that's already healed."

"Oh."

"Yeah..."

"Huh..."

"Kid - you've got superpowers."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Friday, 18/03/2015** _   
_**Dorset, England** _   
_**17:34 p.m.** _

Having superpowers is hard. You really gotta work to get the hang of it. I'd already been living with them for two days and I was still accidentally pulling doors off their hinges and smashing things by mistake.

Bucky was trying to teach me but I was far from a natural.

"Don't touch anything. I don't want you to bring any attention to yourself by accidentally knocking down a building," Bucky said quietly as the bus came to a stop.

"Pfft right, but I'm not that strong...am I?" I muttered back.

"No," he rolled his eyes. "I was exaggerating. Come on."

We grabbed our backpacks and hopped off the bus, keeping our heads down so we didn't attract any attention to ourselves.

We walked for ages until we reached some holiday homes overlooking the beach. They were all empty because it was still the off season so we picked one that had a for sale sign out front and Bucky picked the lock.

"We're only here for a day or two. Just until my contact has our documents. Don't get comfortable," he informed me as we entered.

"Yeah I know the drill," I dropped my bag by the door and collapsed onto the couch. "Don't eat their food, don't sleep in their bed, leave it exactly as you found it."

"Good. Rest up, it's been a long couple of days and the next few won't get much better."

I was too wired to sleep though. Was never great at sleeping during the day. Not if it was light outside. So I took a walk instead.

I never got to go to the beach much when I was younger. Mam and Dad took us whenever they got the chance, but that was only maybe once a year during the summer. Jack took me once too. It was in the middle of winter and it was freezing cold. Everyone else was hiding in their houses while the two of us were there walking along the sand in the worst weather we'd seen all year. That was to scatter my parents' ashes. We never went back after that.

This beach was beautiful. The water was bright blue and the rocks perfectly framed the horizon. I sat down on the sand taking it all in until the sun started to go down and the world got darker and darker around me.

"Beautiful, isn't it," a voice interrupted my train of thought. I got a horrible feeling in my stomach, something in my brain screaming 'BAD! THIS IS BAD! GET OUT OF HERE!!'

But Bucky had taught me I had to keep calm. Panicking was no use to anyone but the enemy. Easy for him to say, he'd lived most of his life without emotion.

"Yeah," I agreed in a small voice. "But somewhat ruined by the dark figure obstructing my view."

"I see you inherited your fathers sense of humour. Shouldn't surprise me. Your grandfather was quite mouthy too. I knew them both well. Good men," the man spoke as though this was supposed to impress me.

"That's nice, can't say I knew them very well."

He chuckled slightly. "Your father was one of the best agents SHIELD ever had. I was the one who recruited him, Nick recruited Phil."

"Ah, so you're with SHIELD?"

"Not anymore. I used to do whatever they told me. Always followed orders whether I agreed with them or not, always the good soldier. But then I realised SHIELD weren't the good guys. They weren't working in the true interests of the world. Not like HYDRA."

So he was crazy. That much was obvious from the way he spoke about the organisations. This guy seriously needed to get a life.

"What do you want from me?"

"We want to help you. Give you a home away from all this, away from the man who killed your parents."

I didn't say anything. What could I say? I had no idea what he was talking about. My parents weren't killed, they died in an accident. But, then, I didn't know what that accident was, Jack never told me. Maybe he didn't tell me because, well, how do you tell a child her parents were murdered?

"Oh, so you didn't know?" The man had a smug smirk on his face that made me sick. "Shouldn't surprise me really, why would he tell you after all. Risk you turning against him. Don't worry. We can take you away from him, take care of him for you. All you have to do is tell me where he is."

"I'm sorry," I swept his legs from under him and sprung to my feet. "I know this might not be something you've heard of before, but it's called loyalty. You should GOOGLE it."

"You little shi-," he was interrupted by my knee meeting his face. That must've hurt.

I ran. I ran like fuck. Faster than I'd ever run before and in no particular direction. They didn't know where Bucky was and the chances that dude was alone were pretty slim. So I couldn't go back to him, not directly anyway, not yet. That's ok, we planned for this, I had a burner cell with one number in it, his. But the phone was in my bag, which I left in the house with Bucky. Ok so not so much use either.

So then, what do I do?

First thing, stay calm. Don't panic or you won't be able to think straight. Rule one of training with Bucky. He told me what to do in this situation, I needed to go on to our meeting place. That was in our next location. Sounds simple, right? Just meet up with him? Yeah, sure, now I just needed to find a way into the states without any passports or money or identification whatsoever.

Yeah, fun.

I stopped running as I came to a road. I didn't know where I was anymore. Not good. I picked a direction and started walking down the road until I managed to get a car to stop for me.

"Y'alri' luv?" A middle aged woman in a Ford Fiesta asked through the open window. "Lookin' for a lift?"

"Yeah just to the nearest town or village, or whatever's on the way to where you're going."

"Hop in," she reached over to open the passenger door from her side and I climbed into the car.

"Do you have a phone with 3G I could borrow by any chance?" I asked, putting on my best sweet teenage girl voice. "I don't mean to impose, but I got lost and my brother is probably sick with worry."

"'Course, here," she handed me her StarkPhone. "You're very good to think of him. Not many kids your age would."

I smiled at her and went back to the phone and into maps. It took a minute or two to find it but there was a private airfield about an hour drive away. I memorised the directions, in case I would have to walk and proceeded to call Bucky, or try to remember his phone number for five minutes before giving up and pretending to call him.

"Hello? James?" I waited as if there was someone on the other end. "No I'm fine, don't worry."

Pause.

"Where?"

Pause.

"Hold on one sec," I put the phone to my shoulder and turned to the woman. "Would you happen to know how far we are from Chamberlain Airfield?"

"About an hour. That where your brother wants you to meet him?"

"Yeah."

"I'll take you there. It's no trouble."

"Oh, no you don't have to. I don't want to mess up your day, making you be a taxi driver to a stranger, that's not fair on you."

"Don't you worry Hun, I don't mind one bit. Tell your brother you're on your way."

I put the phone back to my ear.

"I'll be there in an hour James."

Pause.

"Yes I will, okay bye," I pretended to hang up the phone and handed it back to her. "Thanks a million, from me and my brother."

"You're quite welcome. I'm Karen by the way."

"Jenny."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Friday, 18/03/2015** _   
_**Dorset, England** _   
_**21:06 p.m.** _

"You mind if I turn on the radio?" Karen asked about half an hour away from the airfield.

"Nah, go ahead," I muttered back, staring absently out the window.

" _Aaaaaand now on 76FM we're wishing Ms Ana Cargiale a very happy birthday from Andrei. He says it's your favourite, it's Where Are U Now by Jack U and Justin Beiberrrrr._ "

I smiled slightly. So he was trying to contact me. Ana Cargiale was my alias in Romania. Andrei, cute little Andrei, well, at least Bucky still had a sense of humour. I wondered if that was the first attempt to get my attention or if he had already tried ten other stations and was currently going crazy listening to the same song over and over again.

"We should put in a request," I suggested, tearing my eyes away from the window to flash Karen a friendly smile.

"Sure, what song?" Karen grinned, probably happy for the conversation.

"I'm thinking, Party In The USA? You know, that Miley Cyrus one?"

"I love that song!" Good, good way of letting him know where I was, he'd know where to go once he got there. Karen handed me her phone once again. "You'll have to do it, I can't text and drive."

"Okey Dokey, wanna give a shoutout to anyone?" I hoped I sounded like a normal teenager, or like what she might perceive as a normal teenager. I couldn't really remember how to be normal all that well anymore and she didn't seem to me like the kind of person with lots of experience with teenagers.

"How about your brother, see if he's listening."

"Good idea!" It was a good idea, it was a great idea, too bad I hadn't thought of it...oh, wait. "There, sent."

"I hope they play it next."

"Yeah, me too."

" _Next up its Miley Cyrus' Party In The USA with a special shoutout from Karen and Jenny to James, Jenny's favourite big brother._ "

The song stared playing and I began to hum along. I hated that song. Maybe not as much as Bucky did, but I hated it. One of my friends from before used to love it, though, so I used to have to listen to it all the damn time for Becca's sake. It's funny, you think your friends are for life, that you can't live without them and that you would do anything for each other. In some cases, that might even be true. I don't think it was in mine.

We were friends but we weren't _friends_. Not like Bucky and I were. I don't think I really knew an honest thing about them, or they knew one thing about me. That's not me trying to fault them, they were good to me, got me through some hard times and made me laugh more times than I could count, but I never wanted to tell any of them anything real and they didn't want to know. That's just too much for a teenage friendship to handle.

With Bucky things weren't like that. We didn't have much choice but to share everything, we'd spent the better part of three months living in the same room. There was never any avoidance of the _real_ stuff because that was all we had.

When you're on the run, time passes differently. An hour can last a lifetime but speed by. Three months seemed like three years but-

The car stopped.

"This is it," Karen smiled. She smiled with pep. It was nice, not something I saw a lot of lately.

"Wow, I must've gotten really lost in my head, didn't even notice the song ended," I smiled back attempting to match her pep.

"It's good to get in your head sometimes, lets you know what your thinking."

"Yeah," I chuckled. "It does."

I opened the door and hopped out.

"Listen, thanks a million. If I had any money on me I'd give you something for your trouble but my brother has my bag a-"

"No, no don't worry about that. You just go meet your brother, I'm sure he's expecting you. It was very nice to meet you Jenny."

"The pleasure was all mine Karen."

The door closed and the car drove away, leaving me alone. The airfield was small but there was a surprising amount of security. It looked like there was a flight leaving today, private plane, hopefully to America.

I took a step towards the building and was met by a quiet whining. I thought it might be a wild cat at first, but it didn't sound quite right for that. I glanced around nervously. I didn't like not knowing things, it left me feeling unprepared. My racing heart settled, though, when my eyes fell on a small back puppy discarded at the side of the road. He was tiny, I could lift him with one hand, and shivering as I neared him.

"Shhh, heya pup, what's your name?" I cooed, slowly inching towards him, he seemed so scared. "It's ok, I won't hurt you."

I leaned a hand down to pet him, which he attempted to bite but didn't have the teeth for it to do any damage, not that it would have hurt me very much even if he did. He had a collar but it didn't have a tag on it, God he didn't even look older than a month or six weeks. I picked him up and let him continue to use my finger as a chew toy.

"How do you like the name Charlie?" He bit down a little harder. "Okay, so not Charlie, what about Simba?" Same reaction. "Toby?" Another no. "Vito?" Definitely not. "Leo?" His ears pricked up. "Leo, you like that one?" He licked my finger playfully. "Leo it is then. Wanna come on an adventure Leo? 'Cause there's no chance I'm leaving you here."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fucking with the timeline here because I want to so just bare with me if you please.

  
_**Friday, 18/03/2015** _   
_**Chamberlain Airfield** _   
_**21:32 p.m.** _

I sat with Leo staring at the airfield for a few minutes before finally deciding to just sneak in and go from there. Security wasn't overly tight, some alarms and sensors and two guards that I could see, probably another one or two on the inside. I took a deep breath before standing up and picking up Leo.

"Ok pup," I started, lifting Leo to look straight into his adorable little eyes. "Gotta stay quiet ok? Activate stealth mode. This is a big mission, we gotta get back to Bucky, you'll like Bucky, you have the same colour hair, mostly."

I took a deep breath and tucked the puppy under my arm. I knew it was impossible but it felt like he could understand me.

I counted in my head, seven seconds until both guards were clear for twenty three seconds, my only window.

_One._

I broke into a run.

_Six_.

Just a few more feet to go.

_Eleven_.

I grabbed the handle, he'd be within earshot by now.

_Thirteen_.

I tugged the door. Locked.

_Seventeen_.

I pulled harder. The door came straight off its hinges with a clang, I muffled it as much as I could.

_Twenty_.

I slipped in and pushed the door back.

_Twenty two._

The door slotted back into place, the guards footsteps rounded the corner. I let out the breath I hadn't realised I'd been holding. Step one complete, who knew pulling doors off their hinges would actually come in handy. Step two, find out the light plan of the next plane leaving is, or the soonest one going to the States.

I glanced around to get my bearings. It looked like there was an offices to my left, the rest of the building to my right and the hangar directly ahead. I started towards the office but I could hear voices from one of the other rooms getting closer. Whoever it was was still a bit away but I needed to use the time to find a good hiding place.

The office had lots of places to provide cover, but if anyone came in they would surely find me quite easily. The rest of the building was unknown and that was where the voices were coming from. There wouldn't be much cover in the hangar but there would most likely be a few boxes or something I could hide behind, less likelihood of being found is I was able to stay mobile, especially when I was carrying a puppy around. Hangar it was, I would have to bypass the office for the moment and hope I could pick up the information I needed from the conversation.

I crept forward in an attempt to stay as quiet as possible. The door was open but heavy, it would make a lot of noise unless I was incredibly careful, that also meant slow. I had to take that risk, sound would be more of an alert of my presence, shortening my time considerably anyway.

There was more than I expected there to be in the hangar. A pile of boxes, all black or silver and important looking. Two matte black jeeps facing away from me toward the the biggest plane I'd ever seen in my life, also matte black with wings that were almost wall to wall and, I couldn't even begin to describe the sleek, class it had about it, with an at of secrecy too.

I ducked behind the pile boxes to my right. Leo still seemed mostly unaffected by the whole ordeal. The voices were nearer now, probably within the average persons hearing range though whether or by you would have been able to hear what they were actually saying I'll never know. It was becoming clearer to me though, a man and a woman, talking as they walked, their steps in sync with each other.

"I shouldn't have let that happen," the man sighed.

"It's fine, we all got out alive and well, it was a surprise to all of us," she replied with a comforting tone.

"But it shouldn't have been. I sent you in blind," he retorted, I could sense the resentment in his tone, but it wasn't for the girl.

"We got the bad guy, it wasn't perfect but I worked. Where to next, boss?"

"Jackson, Missouri. I'll brief you on the way. Everyone else on the bus already?"

"Yep."

"Wheels up in five," that voice was new, coming from the direction f the plane, calling out to the others, another woman. The others didn't respond but kept to on their course toward the plane at a steady pace.

I peeked around the boxes to watch them board the aircraft. I needed a way onto that plane. If I could get to Missouri I could get to New York and I could meet Bucky, and these didn't seem like the kind of people to worry about passports. The pair walked up a ramp and climbed a spiral staircase. From what I could see there was two cars on the ramp and some sort of lab beyond that. I couldn't get a clear view into the lab and anything up the stairs was a mystery but judging by the size of the plane there were a least a few luxuries, probably living quarters too, it would make sense that this would be a mobile home for the people on board.

There was no one in sight so I figured I should just go for it. Run before I missed the chance or thought too much into it. It wasn't far, a few quick steps got me to the ramp and into a dark corner where I could hide with Leo. The ramp suddenly lifted leaving us in complete darkness. Leo whimpered slightly and I hugged him closer, running my fingers through his short coat. It would only be a few hours. It was around eight hours to New York as far as I could remember so Missouri couldn't be that much different.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Let me know what you thought it the comments. All feedback welcome, good, bad, undecided. I want to know your thoughts.


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